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 PARIS: The Eiffel Tower and the surrounding Champ de Mars park were evacuated on Tuesday for the second time in two weeks after a bomb alert, a spokeswoman for the Paris landmark said. "The police asked us to evacuate, saying they had received a warning," the spokeswoman said. About 2,000 people were usually in the area at that time of day, she said. A police spokeswoman said the fire service had received a call from a public telephone saying there was a suspect package at the tower. The police cordoned off an area about 200 metres from the tower. The bomb alert was the fourth in as many weeks. French security officials said last week the country was on heightened alert after receiving a tip-off of a planned suicide attack on the Paris metro. Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said on Sept. 20 France faced a real terrorism threat as it faces a backlash from al Qaeda militants in North Africa and fears grow of an attack from home-grown cells within its borders. AGENCIES |